What will happen to your body if you eat only once a day?

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Many benefits for reducing and maintaining body weight indicate that the most effective in the process of losing weight remains the use of so-called fractional nutrition, which involves five and six meals a day. However, numerous studies show that this approach to eating is only partially effective, and the benefits of fractional meals are significantly exaggerated. In addition, one-time meals, which are popular among many people losing weight, can also be beneficial in terms of weight loss.

However, the practical application of such a specific diet must take into account all the features, contraindications and possible side effects.

General rules

Modern nutrition systems aimed at reducing body weight include a wide range of diets, from the most restrictive to a balanced diet.
At the same time, most of those who want to lose weight in pursuit of results forget the most important principle - do not harm your health. One of the extremely strict nutrition systems includes eating once a day for weight loss. This diet does not have any strict restrictions on the choice of foods and allows you to eat until you are completely full once a day without additional snacks. An important condition is to drink enough fluid. The optimal time for eating is up to you, but it is preferable to eat at the end of the day. As you can see, the nutrition rules are simple. The authors of this method of nutrition argue their position by the fact that our ancestors (warriors, hunters) used to eat this way, who during the day were engaged in hunting/mastering the art of war, and ate food mainly in the evening, once a day, while remaining strong and hardy. However, arguments of this kind are unsubstantiated, since there are no reliable data on the state of health, morbidity, and average life expectancy of our distant ancestors. In addition, they were unlikely to be bothered by the problem of excess weight. And if some segments of the population ate this way, it was more likely dictated by the corresponding way of life, for which they were already prepared.

From the standpoint of modern knowledge, recommending one meal for weight loss is at least unethical, and in most cases even dangerous for the health of those who will practice it.

• First of all, eating one meal a day and prohibiting additional snacks does not allow the body to receive the full range of necessary macro/micronutrients, which after a short period of time can lead to a deficiency of essential nutritional nutrients and contribute to the development of various types of disorders. In addition, the best option is to lose weight through fat. In the absence of control over the intake of BZHU, weight loss can also occur due to proteins, which negatively affects the condition of the muscles.
• When you eat once a day, you have virtually no control over the caloric content of your diet, and as you know, weight loss occurs only if you create a negative energy balance (energy expenditure exceeds intake). Therefore, there are no guarantees of losing weight with such a diet. In order to get rid of extra pounds, there is no need to deny yourself breakfast and lunch, and such irregular eating can only aggravate the situation.
• Single meals include large portions of food, which increases the load on the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, eating a large meal before bed does not allow the body to fully rest.
• With this diet, metabolism , and the body can go into “emergency mode”, storing calories “for reserve”. In addition, this diet acts as a negative psychological factor when you realize that the next meal will not be until tomorrow evening. And no one canceled the feeling of hunger.

Thus, this type of nutrition without changing the quality of food, the amount of food eaten and correcting eating habits cannot be considered a healthy diet. That is why nutritionists have a negative attitude towards any rigid nutrition systems (fasting, express diets, mono-diets, single meals). As a rule, they pose a health hazard and their effectiveness is extremely low. And even if you manage to lose a few kilograms, then after 3-4 weeks the weight returns to its original level, since in such nutrition systems one of the most important rules of successful weight loss is violated - adherence to the principles of rational nutrition over a long period of time.

Basics of proper nutrition

To maintain a healthy body, experts recommend:

• give up unhealthy foods such as fast food, high-calorie sweets or alcohol;
• consume freshly prepared meals;
• eat plenty of fruits and vegetables;
• pay special attention to products of natural origin;
• pay great attention to consumer culture, eat in peace, sitting and chewing every bite well;
• actively engage in sports;
• consume more fiber, etc.

Important! The main criterion when choosing a diet is its benefits for the body.

Proper nutrition

Authorized Products

One meal for weight loss includes:

• Red meat and poultry, rabbit, sausages, smoked meats.
• Different types of fish in different culinary preparations.
• Rye bread, whole grain bread/2 types of flour, crispbread.
• Soups with meat/fish broth (rassolnik, beetroot soup, borscht, vegetable, cereal and mushroom soups, cabbage soup).
• Dairy/fermented milk products (milk, sour cream, cottage cheese, cheese, yogurt, kefir, curdled milk, acidophilus).
• Butter, vegetable oils.
• Pasta, cereals and legumes if well tolerated.
• Eggs in any preparation.
• Any vegetables, garden herbs.
• Fresh fruits/berries, raw/after heat treatment (fruit drinks, compotes, jelly, fresh juices).
• Rose hip cocoa infusion, wheat bran decoction, tea, coffee, mineral water.

Table of permitted products

Detox diet

The diet program contains several options:

• reducing the number of meals;
• reducing the calorie content of foods.

One option is selected. The diet is used as dietary nutrition and health supplement. The method is based on the belief that after 8 hours of fasting, the maximum amount of fat is burned over the next 4 hours. The restrictions are quite significant, it is better to consult a doctor.

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There are advantages:

• you can feel the taste of foods more subtly and learn to enjoy a meal;
• the way of eating promotes the least consumption of carbohydrates and fats (which then helped Ilze Liepa);
• Abdominal bloating and colic go away, as stomach diseases occur during fermentation. The process of rotting occurs when new food is consumed before the old one has been digested.

Reviews and results

Reviews about one meal for weight loss vary significantly. However, the majority is inclined to conclude that such a diet should not be the norm, unless, of course, you care about your health.

• “... I read about this method of losing weight, and my friend and I decided to try it. We, of course, were aware that this is not the best option for organizing meals for weight loss, but it may be no worse than many other diets, such as low-fat nutrition, low-carbohydrate diets, and so on. Unfortunately, I only lasted 3 days, and my friend lasted a week. True, she lost 2.8 kg, but she said that during the day she really wanted to at least have something to eat. I don’t think this kind of food is for me.”

Contraindications and side effects

The “eat once a day and lose weight” system can hardly be called absolutely safe, since it has a number of limitations:

1. Pregnancy and breastfeeding;
2. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (acute or chronic);
3. Deficiency of vitamins and minerals, low hemoglobin levels;
4. Heavy physical work;
5. Reduced body mass index.

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In turn, the diet can cause the following disorders:

• Exacerbation of diseases of the digestive system;
• Inflammatory processes of the digestive organs;
• Dizziness, loss of strength;
• Headaches (mainly in the morning or evening);
• Anemia, deficiency of vitamins and microelements;
• Sleep disturbance;
• Stomach pain, abdominal pain.

Before starting a diet, you should weigh the pros and cons, consult with your doctor and carefully plan your daily menu in order to prevent imbalance in nutritional composition.

How to eat right

Optimal nutrition should not be viewed as a dogma. Living conditions, habits, circadian rhythms of each individual person - everything leaves its mark on the food intake schedule. But the “golden rules” for a healthy and active life still exist. And they were written for you and me, taking into account the realities of the 21st century.

Rule 1: Regularly, on schedule

Each meal must be preceded by certain reactions of the body. Secretion of saliva and gastric juice, bile and pancreatic juice. This is why it is so important to eat at the same time. This will promote optimal digestion of food and absorption of nutrients from it.

Rule 2: Fractionally, in small portions

Three and four meals a day are considered the best today. This is breakfast, lunch, dinner and an additional glass of kefir before bed. If there is an opportunity and desire, this system can be diversified with healthy snacks - fruits, drinks, juices, dairy products.

On a note!

The introduction of snacks into the diet does not imply an increase in daily calorie intake. If you add 2 snacks, you must reduce the calories in other meals.

Sport

With a one-meal diet, weight comes off quickly, but if you want to speed up the process, you can add various physical activities. Fast walking for 40 minutes will have a positive effect on your health and mental state. It is recommended for people who are very overweight. In this case, the load on the joints is not as strong as when running.

If you are a little overweight, then light jogging in the evening will give you a good, sound sleep. You can also take a jump rope with you. It perfectly trains the cardiovascular system and promotes accelerated fat burning. Exercising in the fresh air has the advantage that the supply of oxygen to the body oxidizes fat deposits.